Dog vs Gun

So the city thugs have my dog locked up until Monday. I don't say "thugs" lightly- they didn't interview us, respect due process, give information, nada. They just showed up with an order to quarantine the dog for a week. They would do it- taking Lucy to another county, or we could do it at our expense. If we DIDN'T do it, they would kill her. We couldn't see the police report of her biting someone or know who filed it. They wanted to write a citation as well but had no clue what the range of fines might be. They even insulted the Municipal Court by saying the judge could raise or lower the fine depending on how "co-operative" you were.
"Thugs" sounds about right.

So Lucy is locked up for a week. They don't even think she is dangerous. I can visit her without gloves, mask, protective clothing, et.

Lucy provided tripwire and alarm-level security from the couch at Katie's Pilates studio for day and evening classes. Police say barking dogs are a MAJOR crime deterrant. So here's the question: How much gun should it take to replace a 14lb Jack Russell? Are we talking pistols in major or minor caliber? Shotguns? AR15 w/30round mag and suppressor?

Things Tough all over.

He wasn't Austrailian.

This is the way to do it. Sue 'em all.

Then name them and shame them. Given the over-reach by governing agencies and bureaucracies, I think the liberty movement should be self-financing. They may get paid with taxpayer dollars....but at least those tax dollars are going toward the cause of freedom, not slavery.

Crows invade Pennsylvania Town.

Gosh, how could you ever prevent this?

There and back again.

Jon Rhynard was going up so I thought I would take a day and go sit in a stand with a rifle as well. Frantic day on Thursday with my HP printer dying, Ebay shipping piling up and a big print to deliver. Got it nearly all done with Katie's support and hit the road to Clarksville. I set the cruise control and kept reminding myself to calm down, though I was driving slightly faster than my normal velocity. Into a stand after 5:00 and then sat for more than an hour as absolutely nothing happened. At dark two little bucks came out of the treeline and warily circled the feeder with an eye on each other. We aren't shooting little bucks.

Oak and grapevine at the old house site.

The next morning I sat in a tower new to me, watching a well-used feeder. There had been a steady overnight rain but the blind was tight and dry. Nothing showed and at 10:00 I got out and took a little stroll around the ridgeline. This must be the highest point on the property, though that's pretty subtle. Found a buck skull with empty antler sockets. RIP late April last year. The feeder had run dry, so that might have been a clue to the lack of interest. At the road something caught my eye and I got out the 5X7 Deardorff for a couple of negatives. Nice to work a real camera. Landscape and road were wet and the sky was pearly: beautiful combination for black and white film.
During the mid-day I bought three sacks of corn for the feeder, (29.00: thank you, Obama and Bush for making the ethanol producers happy instead of me), photographed an impressive old tin barn-roof next door, (from the top of my 4-runner), ate, recharged and headed back to the stand I started in. Sat through the afternoon texting and surfing via Iphone. Just about the time I was ready to quit I did a final sweep and happened to fixate on a little spot in the trees just a deer stepped into it. Odd how often that happens. First one, then three, then five or so. I put down the binocs and picked up the Remington. I had sorted out the biggest through the binocs so I followed her with the scope. They were just under 100 yards so I wanted a clean headshot to avoid tracking in the dark and a messy butchering later. I put a 130 grain Sierra GameKing under her eye and waited a few minutes for the group to clear the field. When I drove the 4-runner down a few minutes later a little six point came out of the treeline, following the earlier bunch. He crossed right in front of me and didn't seem to register the car as he strained to sort out tang of blood in the air.

Grisly business, even for the apex predators.

Rolled the doe into a cooler and got her to the house. Jon helped me get her on the rack and did the paperwork while I got the knives going in the dark. Was just going to clean-out and hang overnight but Allen called and informed us that the morning would run about 22 degrees. I weighed that against the 40-with-no-wind we were experiencing and headed back out with my blades to get her skinned and prepped to travel.

Cheap French fruit-pickers folder and a WWII vet.

Home again just before lunch, a day late. Got the new printer working on all three computers and started kicking out ebay packages. Made the mail.

Update: Absolutely stunning light yesterday and this morning. Sunlight slanted in early against a grey stormfront coming in. Quite a lightshow.

Superbowl Sniper stations.

Must have been several of these stations to cover the whole crowd. Sheesh. if you are going to have to do it, (and maybe it is just being prudent), at least you ought to give away the rigs as doorprizes.

Tripod head must be like a ball video tripod head where it settles into position after you move it. Kind of strange to shoot standing, but there you go. Quickness counts. Or maybe they didn't actually count on using it.

Update: Wonder if these rifles were actually LOADED and the folks operating them were breaking safety rules #1 and #2? I'd be a little upset if I paid a lot of money to sit in a seat at the Superbowl and some professional was pointing a loaded weapon in my direction now and then. Legally upset.

No more issued ammo at the Camp Perry Garand/Springfield Matches.

I know it was a huge expense and a pain in the rear. But wow. That means Springfield and Garand are on their own. On the other hand, I can finally break into my can of NM 30-06 ammo. Was already bringing ammo for the M14 match and the K31 Vintage match.

Did I mention I won the National Vintage Rifle Match last year?

Loved that beautiful, very consistant Hornady 30-06 ammo they issued. I think I still have 10 rounds or so. Collectors item now.

600 yard groups with Berger Bullets.

600 yard plot sheet with AR15 Match rifle and Berger 80.5 Palma bullets. Not much wind, just a little drift now and then. Varget and CCI450 Magnum primers. Very irritating to shoot the last shot, #20, outside the 10-ring at 3:00 to finish the string.

Same rifle the month before. Might be a little more wind but not much. 82 grain Bergers and Varget. CCI450 Magnum primers.

Prone with a sling at Panola County Gun Club in Carthage, Texas.

Headhunters in the parking lot.

Teenagers. Go figure. Now they are going to be busted down to non-citizens for life. Seems like a good beating would be in order instead.

Smith County auctioning firearms, some of them

This is a little more like it. Auctioning by sealed bid to FFLs rather than melting all of them, though they still are going to melt some.

Hefner's Tatt

I've only seen this done twice before, once on a man'a arm on Commercial Row at Camp Perry and one as a National Match walking around calf tatt. Clay says he might add a few more for President's 100 as they stack up.
I thought about getting the wind-drift chart for 69 Sierras on the back of my right hand but that's about it.

Here's me today. It didn't rain on us but was pretty muddy in spots. Wore my rubber boots the whole time. 486X13 with my match rifle.

Katye Foster with her new friend, the Robertson's Chihuahua "Smokey".

After we shot we had lunch at the excreteable Jalapeno Tree in Carthage, then went to the gunshow out on the loop. The gunshow featured a National Ordnance 1903, a sporterized SVT, TWO tanker Garands, 10 Nylon 66s and a shorty Beretta magazine-fed Garand derivative. I was expecting a LeMat next!

Holy Smokes.

After 17 years, they find the Davidian's missing front door. And the hat off a Davidian who was shot down and then killed by two close-up pistol rounds to the head. Who knows, maybe they will find the ATF video and photos as well.